Guns on the rack. Courtesy photo.
In 1993, in response to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded study that reported guns in the home were associated with increased risk of homicide in the home, the National Rifle Association lobbied Congress, which thereafter dutifully passed the Dickey Amendment in 1996. That amendment mandates that “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the CDC may be used to advocate or promote gun control.”
As a result, the CDC got the message that if you fund research that angers the gun lobby, there will be consequences, i.e., the risk of substantial cuts to your budget. In actuality, the lack of funding is due less to the Dickey Amendment itself than to its implications. In other words, pursue research on hot-button questions about guns and face the wrath of lawmakers who control the agency’s funding.
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